Property owner advocates pleased with county 2008 budget

To the Editor: Voters for Tax Reform would like to commend the Essex County Board of Supervisors and county manager Cliff Donaldson for their performance in enacting the 2008 county budget. For the second year in a row, there is a slight decrease in the property tax levy, making it four years in a row now that property owners have had some much-needed relief in the face of other taxes and expenses that seem to continually increase. This year's public hearing saw several individuals from various groups requesting more money from the county. This is understandable considering increasing costs, and we know that there are many worthy programs out there. However, the board and county manager did the right thing by recognizing that relief for overburdened property owners and fiscal discipline must come first. Kudos again to our elected officials and Cliff Donaldson for demonstrating responsibility with taxpayer money. It is nice to know that there at least some public figures out there making the effort to hold the line on spending. Diane Lashway